Spring suspension



pr l5, 1941. W W WQQD 2,238,202

SPRING SUSPENS ION Filed Feb. 24, 1940 Ma/Zei' W Wand @m29/@ww PatentedApr. 15, 1941 UNITED Tas PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

The invention relates to springs for suspending automobiles and similarvehicles from the wheel axle, and has for its object to provide a springsuspension which will produce a saving in power required to surmountobstacles, a saving in Wear on tires, a reduction in the destructiveeffect of road shock on the vehicle, an increase in the comfort ofriding, and an increase in the ease of control of the vehicle, as wellas in the safety when driven at higher speeds.

The invention contemplates the-provision of spring suspension meansbetween the wheel axles and chassis of an automobile or other vehiclewhich will permit the wheel to yield in the exact direction in which itis urged by the reaction of encountering an obstacle upon the road, theconstruction being such that, when a small obstacle, the reaction fromwhich approaches the vertical is encountered, the wheel will yield in anearly vertical direction with reference to the frame of the vehicle,while if the encountered obstacle be larger and the reaction thereforemore inclined from the vertical, the wheel will yield in thecorresponding direction; a further important feature of this inventionbeing that with this spring suspension a purely vertical force willproduce recession of the wheel with respect to the chassis frame.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from thedrawing and following description, or which may be later referred to,may be attained by constructing the spring suspension to which theinvention pertains in the manner illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which t I y Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of theimproved spring suspension especially designed for a front wheel of avehicle, the left front wheel and spring suspension therefor beingillustrated;

Fig. 2, a similar View showing the improved spring suspension asdesigned for a rear Wheel; and

Fig. 3, a modified form of the rearwheel suspension.-

Similar numerals refer to similar throughout the several views.

Referring rst to the construction illustrated in Figure 1, showing afront wheel spring suspension, the chassis frame l of the vehicle has astud ll rigidly fixed thereon forming a fulcrum upon which the rockinglever arm I2 is pivoted, this arm extending rearwardly from the stud andbeing provided at its rear end with a flanged roller i3 journaledthereon as at I4. i bracket l5 may be rigidly affixed to the frame partsIl) at a point beyond the wheel for mounting a laminated spring I6 as bymeans of U-bolts l1, the forward or free end of the spring bearingagainst the roller I3, tending to force the rocking arm I2 to rotateclockwise about the stud Il.

A bracket I8 is xed to the frame Il) at a point forwardly of the stud Iland provided with a buffer pad I9 which is engaged by the forwardextension 20 o-f the rocking arm l2, forming a stop and limiting therotational movement of the arm l2 in clockwise direction.

The spring I5 holds the extension 2i) of the arm I2 against the bufferpad I9, but any force applied to the arm l2 tending to force it torotate about the stud Il in counter-clockwise direction causes thespring I6 to iiex so as to permit such movement.

The arm l2 has a downwardly extending portion 2l which carries a pin 22by means of which the lever 23 is pivotally connected intermediate itsends to the downwardly extending portion 2| of said arm.

This lever normally occupies an approximately horizontal position asindicated in Fig. 1 and its forward end is attached to the front axle 24as by a universal joint indicated generally at 25.

The detail construction of this joint is not illustrated, but it ispointed out that the rotational movement allowed by this joint as aboutthe vertical axis need be very slight although movement as about thehorizontal axes, both longitudinal and transverse of the Vehicle, mustbe free and have a greater range.

A ange 26 is formed upon the downwardly v extending portion 2| of thearm I2 and a bufler pad 21 is fixed to said ange, said buffer pad beingarranged to be engaged by the upwardly projecting flange 28 upon thelever 23.

A cylindrical spring housing 29 has its upper end journaled as upon thepin 30 carried by the bracket 3l which is iixed to the frame I0. Theclosed lower end 32 of the spring housing sup ports and confines thelower end of a helical spring 33,' the upper end of which contacts thedisk 34 to which is fixed the rod 35 slidably located through a centralanti-friction guide 36 in the bottom wall 32 of the spring housing andhaving its lower end pivotally conected to the rear end of the lever 23as by the pin 31.

In the topmost possible position of the rod 35, as shown in Fig. 1, thedisk 34 engages the buffer pad 38 which is mounted within the upper endof the spring housing.

It will be evident that the parts must be so designed and arranged thatthe spring housing 29 and the laminated spring I6 will not interferewith each other.

For this purpose the spring I6 may lie close to the frame I and the stud39 must be of sufficient length to suspend the spring housing 29 beyondand clear of the spring I6.

It will be seen that the weight of the car is transmitted from the frameIll through the stud II, arm I2, pin 22 and lever 23, the front end ofwhich is supported'by the front axle 24,

Considering the train of forces from the axle back to the frame, it willbe seen that the front end of the lever 23 is urged upward, but isnormally held to the position shown in Fig. 1 by the helical spring 33acting through the rod 35 on the rear end of the lever 23. A

The upward. pressure of the pin 22, which pressure is vertical when thecar is vat rest, exerts a moment about the stud Il tending to cause thearm I2 to rotate counter-clockwise about said stud, but is held fromdoing so by the downward pressure of the spring I6 exerted on the arm I2through the roller I3.

Normally when the car is at rest or rolling on a smooth road the tensionof the spring I6 will be just enough to hold the forward projection ofthe arm I2 against the buffer pad I9, and the tension of the spring 33will be just enough to hold the disk 34 against the buffer pad 33.

When a vehicle equipped with this spring suspension is in motion, andthe wheel W encounters an obstacle, the mechanism permits the wheel toyield in the exact direction in which it is urged by the reaction.

If the obstacle be small the direction of the reaction frorn it willapproach the vertical, in which case the spring 33 will be slightlycompressed as the Wheel surmounts the obstacle, the moment exerted bythe pin 22 about the stud II will also slightly flex the spring I6.

It should be noted that the motion of the pin 22 as about the stud IIhas a horizontal component whereby when this motion occurs the pin 22,lever 23, and axle 24 will simultaneously recede with respect to theframe I0, the lever 23 being free to do so because the whole assemblybetween the pin 31 and stud 36 is free to pivot upon said stud.

This recession not only relieves the impact of the tire against theobstacle, but affords the wheel more time in which tolift for itspassage over the obstacle.

A Very important feature of this device is that with this mechanism apurely vertical force will produce recession of the Wheel with respectto the frame.

However, if the obstacle encountered by the Wheel be large the directionof the reaction will be more inclined from the vertical.

By referring to Figure 1 it Will be seen that this results in shorteningthe effective lever arm of the axle 24 as about the pin 22 andlengthening the effective lever arm of the pin 22 as about the stud Il,the natural result of which is that the spring I6 yields more and thespring 33 yields less in proportion and the resultant actual path of theaxle 24 is more inclined from the vertical, corresponding or tending tocorrespond with the direction of the reaction from the obstacle,therefore, containing a larger horizontal component, which increases therelative recession of the axle and wheel allowing the wheel more time inwhich to surmount the larger article.

The relative position of the stud I I and pin 6 is important. When thevehicle is in motion, the

pin 6 is mpelled forward by the inertia of the vehicle. When a retardingforce such as the horizontal component of the reaction from an obstacleis impressed on the pin 22 a mechanical couple is formed, the effect ofwhich causes the stud II and pin 22 each to tend to revolve about theother as a center, thus, pulling downward on the frame I0 and partiallyor wholly annulling the effect of the up-thrust exerted by the verticalcomponent of the reaction from the obstacle, and pulling upward on thepin 22 tending to lift the Wheel over` the obstacle.

In Fig. 2 is shown a preferred construction of the improved springsuspension especially adapted for a rear wheel and designed for use inthe same vehicle with the front wheel construction shown in Fig. 1.

A stud is fixed upon the frame Ill at a point forward of the rear axle4I and pivoted upon said stud is a rocking arm 42 extending rearwardlyfrom the stud and also provided with a forwardly extending portion 43and a depending portion 44.

A pin 45 is carried by the rearward extension 42 of the arm, and aspring cup 46 is journaled upon said pin. A flange 41 is formed upon theforward extension 43 of the arm and has mounted thereon an elastic pad48, and the depending extension 44 carries the pin 49 and has the flange56 formed thereon to which is connected the buffer pad 5I.

A laminated spring 52 is connected as by the U-bolts 53 to a bracket 54xed upon the frame I0 at a point forward of the stud 46 and the pad 48upon the forward extension of the arm 42 normally contacts the spring 52preventing the arm from rotating about the stud 40 in a clockwisedirection for more than a few degrees.

A stud 55 is fixed upon the frame Il) preferably below the bracket 54and the forward end of the spring housing 56 is pivoted upon said stud.

The spring 51 is enclosed within the housing 56 and interposed betweenthe closed end 58 of the housing and the disk 59 which is slidablewithin the housing and integral with the rod 66 which passes through theguide 6I in the rear end of the housing and is connected at its rear endto the pin 49.

Expansion of the spring 51 acting against the disk 59 will pull forwardon the pin 49 tending to rotate the arm 42 clockwise about the stud 46and pressing the pad 48 against the spring 52. The arm 42 may rotatecounter-clockwise about the stud 40 through a considerable angle bycoini pression of the spring 51.

An arm 62 is journaled on the pin 49 and provided with a forwardextension 63 which carries a flange 64 adapted to contact the buffer pad5I.

The rear end of the arm 62 is connected to the rear axle housing 65 bymeans of a universal or exible coupling or joint as indicated generallyat 66.

A bracket 61 is mounted upon the rear axle housing and carries a pin 68to which is journaled This tends to urge the arm 42 to rotate in acounter-clockwise direction about the studv 40, and if the up-thrustagainst the rear end of the arm 42 is great enough to produce somerotational motion of said arm, the rear axle is forced to lag or recederelative to thev frame.

This effect results from the vertical component only of any reactionreceived from an obstacle and is independent of the horizontal componentof any such reaction. However, when the wheel encounters a largerobstacle, the reaction from which has an appreciable horizontalcomponent, this component obviously acts through the arm 62 to exert arearward pull upon the pin 49, compressing thespring 51 and producing acounter-clockwise movement of the arm 42. i

When the vehicle starts from a standing position the forward thrust ofthe rear wheels as the power is `turned on will act through the rearaxle and arm 62 to push forward on the pin 49 tending to cause the arm42 to rotate clockwise about the stud 40, crowding the pad 48 againstthe free end of the spring 52 which may yield until it engages the pad'Il upon the bracket 12 which is fixed upon the frame l at a point abovethe free end of the spring 52.

This yielding permits the rear axle to move forward slightly relative tothe frame lil, the

rear wheels, of course, also moving forward at f the same time tendingto reduce slipping of the tires in starting.

Engagement of the pad by the iiange 64 serves to prevent the rear axlefrom throwing its full weight on the spring when the body of the vehicleis jacked up or when the vehicle rebounds or bounces upon striking anobstacle or depression in the road.

In Fig. 3, is shown a slightly modied form of rear wheel construction inwhich the rocker arm 42a, is pivoted upon the stud 40a xed upon theframe Ill at a point in advance of the rear axle Mai.

The rear end of the arm 42a being pivotally connected as by a pin 45a toa spring cup 46a, a coil spring 10a being interposed between said cupand the spring cup 69a pivotally connected by a pin 68a to a bracket 61aupon the rear axle housing 6ta.

`The depending arm 44a upon the rocking arm 42a is pivotally connectedas by the pin 49a to the member 62a, the rear end of which is connectedto the rear axle housing as by the universal joint 66a.

A flange 50a is formed upon the depending portion 44a of the rocking armand has a buffer pad Ela fixed thereto for contact with the ange 64aupon the projection 63a of the member 62a.

A spring housing 56a is pivotally connected to the frame as by the studa and has located therein the spring 51a interposed between the rearwall 58a of the spring housing and the disk 59a to which is fixed therod 60a, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the pin liga,

A buffer pad 13 may be normally urged toward the disk 59a as by thespring 14.

When the wheel encounters an obstacle, the action will be substantiallythe same as with the construction shown in Fig. 2.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes I have explained theprinciple of my invention and described embodiments thereof, but Idesire to have it understood that within the scope of the appendedclaims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallyillustrated and described, the disclosure herein illustrative but notrestrictive.

I claim:

1. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carried by theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted upon the frameat a point spaced from the axle and having its free end directed towardthe axle, a depending portion upon the rocking arm, a member pivotallyconnected to the axle and pivotally connected to the depending portionof the rocking arm, spring means for urging the end of the rocking armtoward the axle upward, a spring housing pivotally mounted upon theframe, a disk slidable within the housing, a rod connected to the diskand pivotally connected to said member, and a spring in the housingvbetween the disk and the swinging end of the housing.

2. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carried by theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted uponthe frameat a po-int spaced from the axle and having its free end directed towardthe axle, a depending portion upon the rocking arm, a member pivotallyconnected to the axle and pivotally connected to the depending portionof the rocking arm, an upwardly projecting flange upon said member, abuffer pad between said liange and said depending portion of the rockingarm, spring means for urging the end of the rocking arm toward the axleupward, a spring housing pivotally mounted upon the frame, a diskslidable within the housing, a rod connected to the disk and pivotallyconnected to said member, and a spring in the housing between the diskand the swinging end of the housmg.

3. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carried by theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted upon the frameat a point. spaced from the axle and having its free end directed towardthe axle, a depending portion upon the rocking arm, a member pivotallyconnected by a universal joint to the axle and pivotally connected tothe depending portion of the rocking arm, spring means for urging theend of the rocking arm toward the axle upward, a spring housingpivotally mounted upon the frame, a disk slidable within the housing, arod connected to the disk and pivotally connected to said member, and aspring in the housing between the disk and the swinging end of thehousing.

4. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carried by theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted upon the frameat a point spaced from the axle and having its free end directed towardthe axle, a depending portion upon the rocking arm, a member pivotallyconnected by a universal joint tothe axle and pivotally connected to thedepending portion of the rocking arm, an upwardly projecting flange uponsaid member, a buiTer pad between said flange and said depending portionof the rocking arm, spring means for urging the end of the rocking armtoward the axle upward, a spring housing pivotally mounted upon theframe, a disk slidable within the housing, a rod connected to the diskand pivotally connected to said member, and a spring in the housingbetween the disk and the swinging end of the housing.

5. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carried by theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted upon the frameand having one end extending rearwardly from the pivot point, a rollerupon the rear end of said rocking arm, a spring upon the frame bearingagainst the top of the roller, a depending portion upon the rocking arm,a member pivotally connected to the axle and pivotally connected to thedepending portion of the rocking arm, a spring housing pivotally mountedupon the frame, a disk slidable within the housing, a rod connected tothe disk and pivotally connected to said member, and a spring in thehousing between the disk and the swinging end of the housing.

6. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carried by theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted upon the frameand having one end extending rearwardly from the pivot point, a springinterposed between the rear end of said rocking arm and the axle, adepending portion upon the rocking arm, a member pivotally connected tothe axle and pivotally connected to said depending portion of therocking arm, a spring housing pivotally mounted upon the frame, a diskslidable within the housing, a rod connected to the disk and pivotallyconnected to said member, and a spring in the housing between the diskand the swinging end of the housing.

7. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carried by theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted upon the frameand having one end extending rearwardly from the pivot point, a rollerupon the rear end of said rocking arm, a spring upon the frame bearingagainst the top. of the roller, a forward extension upon said rockingarm, a buffer pad between the upper side of said extension and theframe, a depending portion upon the rocking arm, a member pivotallyconnected to the axle and pivotally connected to the depending portionof the rocking arm, a spring housing pivotally mounted upon the frame, adisk slidable within the housing, a rod connected to the disk andpivotally connected to said member, and a spring in the housing betweenthe disk and the swinging end of the housing.

8. In combination with a vehicle frame, an axle, a wheel carriedby theaxle, a spring suspension including a rocking arm pivoted upon the frameand having one end extending rearwardly from the pivot point, a springinterposed between the rear end of said rocking arm and the axle,aforward extension upon the rocking arm, a buffer pad between the upperside of said extension and the frame, a depending portion upon therocking arm, a member pivotally connected to the axle and pivotallyconnected to said depending portion of the rocking arm, a spring housingpivotally mounted upon the frame, a disk slidable within the housing, arod connected to the disk and pivotally connected to said member, and aspring in the housing between the disk and the swinging end of thehousing.

WALTER W. WOOD.

